The present invention relates in general to automated machines for filling and sealing containers with fluids, and, in particular, to automated machines for filling and sealing cartridges (containers) having multiple compartments.
Automated machines that dispense fluid into containers having only one compartment are known (e.g. machines for filling beverage cans or bottles). Because there is only one compartment per container, the container need not be in any specific alignment with the filling mechanism. Also, the container can store only one type of fluid because there is only one storage compartment in the container.
When filling containers having multiple compartments, it is necessary that the container and the filling mechanism be aligned in a particular way such that each compartment is filled. In addition, when dispensing different fluids in the multiple compartments, it is necessary that the container be correctly aligned so that the differing fluids enter the proper compartments.
It is also advantageous that the filling nozzles be inserted into the compartments during filling. If the nozzles are not inserted, it is possible that the fluid will splash during filling or that some fluid flow will be misdirected. At a minimum, splashing and misdirected flow result in product loss, soiled container exteriors and soiling of the machinery and work space. When the fluid is hazardous or corrosive, the results of splashing and misdirected flow can be much more severe. Additionally, when different fluids are dispensed in the compartments, it is important to prevent one fluid from contaminating another fluid.
Some fluid containers having a single compartment are sealed with, for example, a foil using a heating head. In the single compartment containers, only the circumference of the container is sealed. Sealers for single compartment containers generally use a convex heating head. Because of the construction of multiple compartment containers, additional surfaces (i.e., the tops of the surfaces that divide the container into multiple compartments) other than the circumference must be sealed. Thus, convex heating heads are undesirable because the surfaces interior to the circumference must be melted down before the circumferential surface is sealed.